Cold Crab Casserole

 

Picnic food!  Or backyard eating food, whatever your pref is.  What I'm bringing you tonight is an up-scaled fancy pants variation of one of my all-time favorite dishes from childhood.  It's filling and tasty and easy to make.  And because it can be served cold, it's an ideal dish to make in the morning to enjoy later in the day or tote with you to a friend's house for sharing.

Cold Crab Casserole

1 (16 oz.) box small shell noodles
2 (4 oz.) cans lump crab meat, drained
1-1/2 cups mayo
1 (8 oz.) can peas, drained
1 tbsp. capers
1/2 tsp. Spanish paprika

Prepare noodles according to box directions.  Once cooked, rinse noodles with cold water and set aside to finish draining.

In a big bowl, mix together everything.

Yeah, that easy. The best thing about this dish is that it can be eaten at any temperature, but I recommend cold.

NOTES

This is based on my Mom's Tuna Noodle Casserole which is cooled cooked elbow macaroni, mayo, peas and tuna instead of crab.  Delish and it never lasts long.

You can use any kind of substantial noodle (would not recommend spaghetti or fettuccine).  We chose small shells because, well, it was shellfish. :)

A New England Clam Chowder

 

It's a cold snowy night, so what works better against the cold than a hot bowl of chowder.  Decided to go with the classic original chowder from New England. This one's for you Dad.

A New England Clam Chowder

1 medium white onion, minced
1 tbsp. olive oil
2-3/4 cups milk
1 medium white potato, peeled and small chopped
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 (6.5 oz.) can minced clams
2 tbsp. butter
fresh cracked black pepper

In a deep saucepot, cook the onions in the olive oil over medium-high heat, until translucent but not browned.

Add in milk, chopped potatoes, bay leaves, thyme, and drained juice from the canned clams.

 

Cover and simmer for 20 minutes, watching to make sure your pot does not boil over.  Possibly speaking from experience, so just saying.

Uncover and add in the minced clams and butter.

Stir until butter is melted and allow to simmer until everything is heated through.  Make sure to stir often.

Serve up with oyster crackers.

NOTE

If you like a slightly thicker chowder, you can substitute half-n-half for regular milk.  Or you can bring the chowder to a boil and then whisk in 1 tbsp. of flour.  Once it's mixed in, drop temperature and simmer until the desired thickness.

Why I Love Charleston: Geechie Boy Grits and Shrimp Gravy

 

So I'm doing this a little backwards.  I was going to introduce you to the fabulous world of the Geechie Boy Mill & Market first and then stun you with a delicious recipe, but weekend plans got in the way and so I'm going to stun you first.

Was at the beach this weekend with my friends Deb and Scott who stepped up to the plate (literally) to be my guinea pigs.  I've never done grits before, but Betsy Johnsman at Geechie Boy gave me both her mother's recipe (available at the shop) and some helpful hints to smooth the way for my first venture.  Add in some super fresh coastal shrimp and we have a winner.

Geechie Boy's Shrimp and Grits
based on Boone Jenkins' recipe

grits
3 cups water
1 cup Geechie Boy stone-ground grits
1-1/2 cups half and half
salt and pepper to taste

shrimp gravy
1 tbsp. butter
1 medium tomato, finely chopped
1 medium Vidalia onion, finely chopped
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup white wine

Bring water to a boil over high heat.  Slowly add grits, stir lightly then cover and reduce heat.

As grits thicken, add half and half, about 1/4 cup at a time, making sure to stir it in fully each time.

Continue to cook all told for about an hour, adding half and half and stirring occasionally throughout the process.

For the shrimp gravy, melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Add tomatoes and onions and cook until they begin to caramelize.

Toss in shrimp.  Using a wooden spoon, stir the shrimp, tomato, and onion until the shrimp turns pink.

 

Splash in white wine and continue to cook until the shrimp are done and wine is reduced.

Plate grits and cover with a generous serving of shrimp gravy.

NOTES

I have been informed that real GOOD grits take at the very least 45 minutes and up to 2 hours to be done right.

If you're wondering why my grits are yellow, it's because I bought yellow grits.  Geechie Boy had both yellow and white available.  I went with yellow grits and white cornmeal, just to shake things up a bit.

Because we bought very fresh still in the shell shrimp, we bought almost 1-1/2 lbs. so that by the time we de-shelled it we'd have just over 1 lb. We also cut our large shrimp into smaller bite-sized pieces to allow for more shrimp per bite in the gravy.

When I say "we" prepped the shrimp I really mean "thank you Scott for handling the shrimp so that I didn't have to worry about shrimp-stinky hands while I cooked." :)

Scallops Bechamel on Toast

Since I'm in Maine visiting relatives, I figured it would be an act of sacrilege to leave the state without whipping up a little fresh seafood something-something.  Fortunately I have a generous family who stepped up to be my taste testers.  :)

I was going to call this "Chipped Scallops on Toast" a la "Chipped Beef on Toast" but my retired military uncle reminded me of the no-so-flattering nickname given to that taste treat, so I went with something a little more appealing.  No matter what you call it though, it is D-lish!

Scallops Bechamel on Toast

bechamel sauce
2 cups milk
4 tbsp (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg

scallops mix
1 lb. fresh sea scallops, cut in half (or quarters depending on their size)
1 cup shitake mushrooms, chopped
1/2 cup ham steak, small diced
1 small onion, diced
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp olive oil

soft crusted French baguette, sliced
1-2 tsbp parmesan cheese

To make the sauce:

In a small saucepan, scald milk (aka heat to almost but not boiling).

In another heavy bottom saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Whisk in flour and blend until it forms a roux, cook for 1 minute then remove from heat.

Pour in half of the heated milk and mix until the roux is incorporated.

Return to low heat and stir until it thickens.  Add in rest of heated milk with white pepper, salt, and nutmeg.  You can adjust the seasoning to taste.

Remove from heat and set aside.

To prepare the scallop mix: 

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add in onions and garlic.  Cook 2-3 minutes or until the onions start to turn translucent.

Add in the scallops and cook for 3-4 minutes or until the scallops start turning opaque white (half cooked).

Add in the diced ham, and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add in chopped shitake and cook for 1-2 minutes.

When the scallops are completely cooked, reduce the heat to low and pour in the prepared bechamel sauce.  Mix well, the sauce will thicken as it sits.

Remove from heat.

Slice the baguette into 1" thick slices (cut on a diagonal to make larger pieces).

Place the slices on a cookie sheet covered with foil.  Place the cookie sheet in an oven pre-heated to 350 degrees.  Toast until the top half starts to crisp up, then turn them all over and continue to toast until the second side is crispy as well.

Remove from oven.  Cover each slice with a generous spoonful of the scallop bechamel.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Set the oven to broil and place the cookie sheet under the broiler.  Cook for 1-2 minutes until tops are toasted.  Remove and serve.

NOTES

Want to send a special shout out to my favorite Maine-iacs for letting me commandeer the kitchen and use them as my guinea pigs.

From the oohs and aahs and happy grunting noises, I took that to mean the family thought it was pretty good.  It is fairly rich so be warned.

You want a soft bread to toast so that it will be crunchy (versus chewy). 

All of the chops and dices were small so that biting into the toast would be easy and not messy.

These can be made into appetizers or a meal, depending on how big you cut your bread.

Broiled Salmon with Hawaiian BBQ Sauce

 

So the other part of Guinea Pig Dad's Happy Pappy Day feast on Sunday was a little Southern Seas-inspired fish dish that I whipped up for the seafood lover in him.

This taste treat was the result of a conversation I had with my friend Cooper who told me his family makes this delicious grilled salmon with a Hawaiian BBQ sauce.  But since he couldn't remember exactly what all the ingredients were and in what quantity they were used, we brainstormed a list of potential things that could work (in case he forgot to send me the recipe, which he did forget to do, silly Cooper!) and I just ran with it up from there.  I love it when a culinary experiments comes together!

You'll want to make the BBQ sauce about an hour before you plan to cook the salmon so that the flavors have time to sit together and blend.  It only take 10 minutes to prep and cook the salmon once the BBQ sauce is ready.

Broiled Salmon with Hawaiian BBQ Sauce

1-1/2 to 1-3/4 lbs. salmon (with or without skin on one side)

the "rub"
3/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

Hawaiian BBQ Sauce
1 (15 oz.) can plain tomato sauce
1 (8 oz.) can crushed or chunk pineapple
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2/3 cup brown sugar, loose not packed
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 cinnamon stick

In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients for the BBQ sauce.  Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

When the sauce is ready, strain it into a saucepan and set aside.

Turn the oven broiler on and set the over rack on the 2nd level down from the top.

Take your salmon and cut it into 4-5 oz. individual fillets.  If you bought it with skin-on, leave it on during the cooking process, will be easier to remove once the fillets are cooked.

 

With the skin-side down, sprinkle the "rub" on the top half.

Place the fillets on a broiling pan and cover with a spoonful or two of the BBQ sauce.

Put on the rack in the oven and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the salmon flakes apart and is opaque in the center.

While the salmon is cooking, bring the rest of the BBQ sauce to a boil over medium-high heat.  Remove from heat and add to salmon once it's been served.

All done and yum.

NOTES

Don't forget that there is a piece of skin under the salmon.  Once the fish is cooked, it is very easy to remove.

Special Dad Note:  if your daughter is serving the salmon over rice, put the cooked salmon sauce-side down on the pile of rice, remove skin from bottom, pour more sauce on top.  Less muss, less fuss, more sauce, all good.

In this recipe, you don't want to substitute regular Paprika for Smoked Paprika because you really want to bit of that smoked flavor.  The recipe that Cooper and his family use actually uses Liquid Smoke so if you had that instead, just substitute with a dash or two and you should be set.

Salmon goes really well with whole grain or brown rice.  Mom made a nice fruit & veggie Waldorf salad variation on the side (which I will try to make for another post).

If you don't like salmon, but want to use it on fish, make sure to use another heavier fish (versus a light white fish) so that it holds up to the sauce.  Anything lighter will just get overwhelmed.

The Hawaiian BBQ Sauce would go really well with grilled chicken or on pork, like pork ribs or pork chops.

Quick-n-Easy Shrimp Po'Boy

 

Hope everyone is enjoying their Superbowl Sunday.  Go Team! 

I wanted to try something I've not made before -- a po'boy and what I'm bringing you tonight is a variation on a Dressed Shrimp Shorty.  Po'boys are a Louisiana specialty sandwich and consist of roast beef or fried seafood served on a French baguette.  A regular po'boy is a foot long, while a shorty is a 6" sandwich.  If you ever grab a po'boy in New Orleans and they asked you if you want it dressed, this mean do you want it with lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayo, onions and spicy mustard are an option too.  Usually a roast beef po'boy will have gravy and sometimes french fries on it.

So my Dressed Shrimp Shorty has red leaf lettuce, sandwich-sliced Kosher dills, and Cajun mayo (aka remoulade).  Spicy and flavorful, if you like them, the pickle slices are KEY! Now you can deep fry up some shrimp, but I went the semi-premade route which works just as well.

Quick-n-Easy Dresssed Shrimp Shorty Po'Boy

frozen shrimp poppers
red leaf lettuce
French baguette
sliced pickles
Cajun mayo (see recipe)

Cajun mayo
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp chili sauce
2 tsp horseradish
2 tsp spicy brown mustard
2 tsp Creole seasoning*
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp Tabasco
1/2 tsp lemon juice

Mix together all Cajun mayo ingredients and set aside.

Cook up shrimp according to package directions.

Slice 6" section of French baguette lengthwise.

Slather bread with Cajun mayo, layer with lettuce and pickles. Pile cooked shrimp on top and enjoy.

NOTES

*In case you don't have Creole seasoning on hand, here is a recipe to make your own batch.

Creole seasoning
2-1/2 tbsp paprika
2 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp black pepper
1 tbsp cayenne
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp dried thyme

The Cajun mayo has a really nice flavor, would be great for a Creole chicken salad, a spicy egg salad, or as a spread for a roast beef sandwich.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits with Crab Dip

 

More fun with Superbowl food ideas.  Here's a new combo for you to try out.  My friend Chell told me about these yummy biscuits she makes (AND shared her recipe, thank you Chell!) and I thought they would pair up nicely with a crab dip recipe that I have that goes over gangbusters with my party people.

The nice thing about this combo is that as stand alone items they work just as well.  With the dip, you can go cold or hot depending on your preference.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits with Crab Dip

biscuits
2-1/2 cups Bisquik
4 tbsp cold butter
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 cup milk
3/4 tsp garlic powder
3 tbsp butter, melted
3/4 tsp dried parsley

Using a pastry blender (or fork), combine Bisquik and cold butter in a large bowl until evenly lumpy/mealy.

Add in grated cheddar, milk and 1/4 tsp garlic powder. Either use your hands or a wood spoon to gently blend but not overmix.

Cover a cookie sheet with parchment paper and drop batter by a generous tablespoon.

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

While the biscuits are baking, melt butter and mix with parsley and 1/2 tsp garlic powder.

Once the biscuits are done, remove from oven and brush tops with the herbed butter.

Makes 2-1/2 to 3 dozen deliciously light and flavorful biscuits.

cold crab dip
12 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp dry white wine
3 tbsp lemon juice
1-1/2 tsp prepared horseradish
1 tsp Worchestershire
1/4 cup minced white onion
12 oz canned crabmeat, flaked
salt and pepper to taste

Whip together cream cheese, garlic, wine, lemon juice, horseradish, and Worchestershire until well blended.

Fold in crabmeat and onions, season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with dried parsley.

Makes 3 cups.

NOTES

I cut up my butter into little cubes to make it easy to blend in.  Cuts back on blending time.

I used fat free cream cheese which despite being refrigerated was soft enough to blend easily without having to leave out for a long time.  Gently squish the box at the grocery store and you'll see what I mean.

If you want to make it a hot crab dip simply add 1 tbsp milk or cream to the cold crab dip recipe. Transfer dip to an oven-proof dish and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Top with 3 tbsp chopped almonds (optional).  Serve hot.

I used Chicken of the Sea White Crab Meat, took three 6 oz cans (= 4 oz drained).

Creamy Chestnut & Tilapia Soup

This is a very thick, creamy soup which sits nicely in your belly.  It has a mealy taste, but I like that.  By taking out the tilapia, you can make it a straight-forward vegetarian dish.

Creamy Chestnut & Tilapia Soup

2 tilapia filets (about 3/4 lb)
1 tbsp butter
2 tsp olive oil
2 cups chopped leeks (about 5 small ones)
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, tied together
2-3 bay leaves
2 cups chopped celery (about 5 stalks)
4 cups diced potatoes (about 1-1/2 lbs = 2 large potatoes)
3 cups vegetable stock
2 cups milk
1-3/4 cups (8.5 oz jar) chopped roast chestnuts
sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
fresh parsley or green onions, to garnish

Lightly oil a medium skillet and warm pan over medium-high heat.  Salt and pepper the tilapia filets on both sides, then place in the heated skillet.  Cover and let cook 3-4 minutes.  Uncover and flip the filets, then cook covered for another 3-4 minutes.  Keep cooking until filets are whitened through.

Once cooked, using your spatula, flake the filets and then set aside.

In a large soup pot, heat butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. 

Saute the leeks with the garlic and salt 5-7 minutes until the leeks are soft and tender.

Add nutmeg and rosemary, then saute for another 1-2 minutes.

Add rosemary, bay leaves, celery, potatoes and vegetable stock.  Bring everything to a boil.  Once boiling, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes or until potatoes are tender.

Remove pot from heat and discard the rosemary and bay leaves.  Stir in milk and 1 cup chestnuts.

Doing it in small batches, puree the soup in a blender until smooth.

Add the remaining chestnuts and the flaked tilapia, then season with salt and pepper.  Heat lightly and garnish with parsley or green onion then serve.

NOTES

When you chop the leeks, you can use the white part and the tender part of the greens which is all but the super fibrous ends of the greens.

By tying the rosemary sprigs together, they are easy to fish out of the soup and less likely to break off as much in the soup.

For potatoes, you can use pretty much whatever you have on hand.  I used russet because they cook up really well and have a nice mealy texture.  You can use red potatoes if you want a creamier texture.

The original recipe called for half-n-half, but you can use anything you like.  If you want to make it a vegan soup, eliminate the tilapia and use soy or almond milk.

The original recipe I based this on just had chestnuts, the tilapia was an addition requested by the Guinea Pig Mom and it was a really good one, but if you are not a fish fan, you lose nothing by taking it out.